


I'm On My Way

by REM_It_Up



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Protective Rhodey, Rhodey Is a Good Bro, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 05:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7255018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/REM_It_Up/pseuds/REM_It_Up
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Rhodey leave on bad terms and go their separate ways during Winter Vacation. A few weeks in Rhodey gets a call from someone he doesn't expect...Tony needs his help.</p><p>Tony needs his help and no one is going to stand in Rhodey's way...No one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm On My Way

Rhodey stared silently out the car window, not really paying attention to the houses and trees that buzzed by. Not paying attention to the driver in the front seat who would periodically glance at him from the rearview mirror. There was only thing going through his head…there was only thing that he’d been thinking since getting that phone call, boarding his flight, and getting into the waiting car...

_“Tony needs you”_

*^*^*^*^*^*

The day started out normal enough, well, normal enough for him in the Rhodes household anyway. He was awake and dressed by 6:30 and by 7 he was already in his basement getting his ass handed to him by his mother, Major General Roberta Rhodes, in a boxing match. After his embarrassing defeat (and doing his “Loser Push-Ups”…Thanks Ma) she made him blueberry pancakes as a consolation prize…so it wasn’t too bad.

After he was showered and dressed and his Ma had headed off to work, he had settled down to watch some mind-numbing TV. He was trying to keep his mind off of Tony…The two had gotten into a heated fight before they both took off for Winter Vacation. Rhodey had been angry, hurt, frustrated before he took off, Tony had left without even a good bye. Now…Now he was about two weeks into his break and he still couldn’t get Tony off his mind.

\-----

_Rhodey pushed open the door to Tony’s apartment, having rushed after not being able to reach him on the phone, and heard a ‘clink’, he poked his head around to see an empty bottle on the floor._

_He sighed, “Tony…” He walked into the apartment and picked up the bottle, placing it on the counter before walking in further. Bottles and cans were strewn across the floor, some full, some empty, and others were spilled on the floor like Tony had dropped them, inevitably the bottles formed a path to Tony’s room. Rhodey walked into Tony’s room and immediately heard sounds coming from the dark bathroom._

_Rhodey braced himself and flicked on the light, “OhmyGodwhatthehell?!” Tony groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. Tony was laying in the empty (thank God) bathtub, he had on one sock on his left foot, no shirt, and a pair of unbuttoned jeans. The bathroom was a mess, Rhodey wondered how long Tony had been sitting here in the dark. Judging from the small bottles and mostly empty cans that surrounded him and the fact that he was still trying to adjust his eyes to the light…it may have been awhile._

_“Tony” Rhodey said firmly, “How long have you been drinking?”_

_“Rhodey!” Tony smiled at him, throwing his arm back down, “There you are! I was looking for you. Did you want something to drink?” Tony held out the half empty bottle of...something, the amber liquid sloshed around in the bottle as he shook it enticingly._

_Rhodey came into the bathroom and took it from his hand, if only to stop Tony from drinking anymore, “Tony, how much have you drank?”_

_“Pssssshhhh” Tony lolled his head back, “1”_

_“1 drink?” Rhodey questioned, looking around him at the multiple bottles and cans, “Really?”_

_“No, no Platypus…” Tony waved him arm around, his hand knocking against the rim of the tub, “1 cabinet!”_

_Rhodey’s eyes widened, “You drank the everything you had!?” Rhodey cursed himself for leaving Tony alone, not that he could help it. He had final exams and physical tests to take…but he knew that Tony hadn’t been in the best of moods recently. Because School Vacation was tomorrow and Tony was expected to go back home…to the Stark Mansion. While Rhodey knew that Tony had a good relationship with his Mother and his Butler, Jarvis, the relationship with his Father was strained. He and Tony have been friends since the beginning of the school year, since meeting and becoming friends they have gotten very close. Despite their closeness, the 17-year-old was still close-lipped about some things. One of those things was his family life, specifically Howard. Rhodey didn’t know the extent of his relationship with his Father but from what he could piece together he knew it wasn’t very good._

_Ever since finding out that his Father had demanded that he return home for the Winter Vacation Tony had been running himself ragged. He wasn’t sleeping, he was barely eating, and the stress was wearing on him. Rhodey tried to be there with him but with the end of the term coming, it wasn’t possible for Rhodey to be there all the time, it also didn’t help that Tony didn’t explain why he was so worried about going home.. He knew it was only a matter of time before Tony turned to the bottle. As it stands…Tony was only able to hold off until the night he was supposed to fly out._

_“Tony you could have alcohol poisoning!” Rhodey yelled, “We have to get you to the hospital.” Rhodey felt a stab of panic as he realized how much Tony drank while he was gone. Rhodey had drank with Tony before (He tried not to because Tony was only 17 but he folded after a while, beside at 19 Rhodey was illegal too) and he knew that Tony Stark could definitely hold his alcohol (he even drank Rhodey under the table a few times) but he couldn’t help but be worried for his friend._

_Tony waved him off, “It wasn’t that much, I’ve drank more. I’m fine!…Look!” Tony attempted to stand up, rising to his shaking legs. He grinned as he stood and went to step out of the tub, but he didn’t raise his foot enough and he caught it on the side of the tub. Tony pitched forward and Rhodey rushed to stop him before he could meet the floor. Rhodey caught him under the arms with an ‘oomph’, thankful that the lanky genius was light. Tony was giggling, “Oops”_

_Tony suddenly tensed, “What is it Tony?” Rhodey asked, trying to look at Tony’s face._

_Rhodey caught a glimpse of a green-tinted face before Tony was scrambling to reach the toilet. He made it just in time to start throwing up, leaning over the bowl and clutching at the porcelain. Rhodey sighed heavily and walked over, sitting on the side of the tub and rubbing a soothing hand over Tony’s back as he retched. After a few moments Tony shuttered and pushed back from the rim, he scooted back to lean against the cabinet. Rhodey flushed the toilet and they stayed silent as the sound of water echoed in the room._

_Tony didn’t meet his eyes, “Why were you drinking Tony?” Rhodey asked, staring at him_

_Tony didn’t answer, the genius shrugged and Rhodey could his frustration rising._

_“Tony…Will you talk to me?”_

_He was met with silence_

_Rhodey took a deep calming breath, “Tony I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”_

_“Maybe I don’t need help, Rhodes” Tony grit out, meeting his eyes, “Have you considered that?”_

_His anger grew, “You don’t need help?” Rhodey asked, exasperated, “Tony I just found you sitting in the dark, in your bathroom drunk off your ass!”_

_“That’s just typical Tony Stark behavior Rhodes” Tony bit back, a smirk on his face, “Haven’t you heard? The media reports that shit all the time ‘Tony Stark Drunk off His Ass…Again.’ Nothing new here.”_

_“Don’t try to blow this shit off Tony” Rhodey glared, “Somethings wrong and…”_

_“Wrong?!” Tony interrupted, back straight and words sharp, “Nothing is wrong Rhodes, nothing is wrong! No wait…Something is wrong. What’s wrong is the fact that my best friend decided that he wanted to play my therapist. What’s next? Are we going to talk about our emotions? Discuss our feelings?”_

_“I’m not trying to play your therapist Stark!” Rhodey snapped back, “I just want to understand what is going on with you! You’ve been acting weird ever since you found out you have to go back home! You haven’t been sleeping or eating and I can see something is bothering you but I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong!”_

_Tony sneered at him, “Why do you care?!”_

_Rhodey laughed, an ugly short, grating sound, “Because you’re my friend, dumbass!”_

_“If you were my friend you would drop it when I tell you nothing is wrong!”_

_“It’s because I’m your friend that I’m not dropping it because I know you’re lying!”_

_“You don’t know anything!”_

_“Then help me understand!”_

_“It’s none of your fucking business!”_

_Both Tony and Rhodey were breathing hard, eyes blazing with anger and fists clenched tight. Rhodey stood up and ran his hands through his hair roughly, aware that Tony was watching his movements._

_He turned to Tony who was hunched in on himself defensively. He grit his teeth, “I’m just trying to help Tony,” he tried one last time_

_“I didn’t ask for it” Tony bit back_

_“Fine” Rhodey walked out of the bathroom without looking back and walked out of Tony’s apartment. He went back to his dorm, still angry and still frustrated. He wanted to go back to the apartment and shake Tony. Shake him until he got it through his head that Rhodey was worried about him and that he didn’t need to push him away. He wanted to…but he didn’t trust himself not to just get angry again. Tony could be unbearably difficult when he wanted to be and Rhodey knew he couldn’t deal with it._

_Rhodey fell onto his bed, face burying into his pillow as he let out a roar of aggravation, after a few moments he fell asleep…and the next morning he and Tony headed home._

\-----

They hadn’t tried to contact each other since their vacation, but Rhodey had seen him on the TV at events and doing interviews. He didn’t really have to look too hard because the Starks were always on TV, especially Tony. Whenever he came across Tony on the TV he couldn’t help but watch…at least for little bit until he remembered he was angry at him. He couldn’t help but notice that Tony looked unhappy…Tony was very good at hiding his emotions and playing to the camera, at least at face value. But Rhodey had always been able to read Tony, always able to see his true feelings behind his eyes.

Tony looked tired, he looked miserable and Rhodey felt his heart go out to him whether he wanted it to or not…In response he would usually change the channel. His Ma, who could read her son just as well as Rhodey could read Tony, had asked him why he was so gloomy his first couple days back. He explained everything to her and while she understood why Rhodey was upset with Tony…She also explained that it seemed like Tony never had anyone like Rhodey before. Maybe it was simply too difficult for Tony to open himself up to Rhodey. She also assured him that it they were as good of friends as they seemed they would make up in no time. Rhodey took some comfort with that and had started considering calling Tony because honestly he was starting to miss him. 

That was until today…He had been watching TV when his phone started ringing. He raised an eyebrow at the number, one he didn’t recognize. He normally just ignored unknown numbers and let the voicemail pick it up. He went to hit the ‘Ignore’ button but accidently hit the ‘Call’ button instead, he sighed and brought it to his ear.

“Hello?” He answered, turning the TV down

“James Rhodes?” It was a female voice, one he hadn’t heard before, her voice was smooth and soft.

“Uh, Yes? May I ask whose calling?”

“I’m sorry, this is Maria, Tony’s Mother” She answered and Rhodey froze

“Is-Is everything okay?” Rhodey asked, panic rising. Why was she calling him? Did something happen to Tony? Oh God, what if something happened? What if he was hurt? What if-

“Please don’t panic” She said, like she could tell that Rhodey was freaking out, “I’m calling because…I need your help.”

“You need MY help?” Rhodey was confused…to put it lightly

“Well, Tony needs your help” She said and Rhodey could hear the worry in her voice, “Tony needs you…”

Rhodey was on his feet in an instant.

*^*^*^*^*^*

He scared the hell out his Ma, he called her as soon as he got off the phone with Maria, explaining, or trying to explain in his frenzy, that Tony needed him and that he needed to go to Long Island. He wasn’t sure if his Ma knew exactly what was happening but she saw how panicked Rhodey was and dropped him off without any questions.

The flight to Long Island from Philadelphia took about an hour, it went even faster because Maria sent the Stark Jet to pick him up. When he touched down he saw a driver waiting for him and they were on the road in a matter of minutes. Which was where he found himself now, staring out the window, fists clenched and nails biting into his palms. Maria, who had gotten his number from Tony’s phone, had explained what had happened and Rhodey was anxious to get to the Stark Mansion.

Maria and Howard had been downstairs while Tony was in his room getting wasted by himself. Similar to before, Tony had started drinking and, much like before, he drank much more than he should of. Jarvis had gone upstairs to look for Tony only to find him passed out, laying in his own vomit for who knew how long. Rhodey had asked Maria what hospital Tony was in, only to be told that Tony wasn’t taken to the hospital. Rather Howard had called upon trusted medical staff and had them arrive to the house. Tony had been treated for his alcohol poisoning. Maria had ensured Rhodey that Tony was okay and had been observed overnight while receiving fluids.

The real problem happened the next morning when Howard and Tony gotten into an argument over what happened. She didn’t go into specifics but apparently Tony had locked himself in his bathroom and wasn’t coming out. Nobody knew what he had inside the bathroom but he was refusing to talk to anyone.

This is why Maria had called Rhodey, she told him that Tony was always telling her about him. That it was obvious that he was a really good friend to Tony and that he trusted him; Tony wasn’t answering her or Jarvis but she hoped he would talk to Rhodey.

“We’re here, Sir,” the Driver said, bringing Rhodey out of his thoughts

Rhodey didn’t wait for the driver to come around and open the door, he was out of the car and approaching the house. He had barely gotten to the door when it was swung open by a tall man in a well-fitted suit. His mind supplied him with a name, ‘Jarvis’.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Rhodes” Jarvis said in a crisp English accent. The posture was formal and professional, but Rhodey could see the relief in his expression, “If you would follow me”

Rhodey nodded and followed him into the mansion, the place was huge and ornate, and the biggest house Rhodey had ever been in by far. It made his quaint house in Philadelphia look like a closet, Rhodey may have spent more time in awe if his mind wasn’t focused on seeing Tony. Rhodey kept up with Jarvis’ longer stride as he led him up a stairwell, past whispering staff, and to a room that obviously belonged to Tony.

It was big, as Rhodey would expect, and the walls were covered with drawings, circuit boards and robots planned out on large paper. In the corners and on the desk that sat beneath a Captain America poster there were pieces of metal and curls of wire. The bookshelf in the room was crowded with books, magazines, and small pieces of machinery. The bed was a mess, the pillows were thrown on the floor and the covers were crumpled on the bed. Jarvis stopped and nodded to a door in the room, where Rhodey saw a light peering out the bottom and a woman. She was standing in front of the door talking softly, “Tony? _Mimmo?_ Please…”

Jarvis cleared his throat and Maria turned to look at him, eyes then landing on Rhodey. While Rhodey had never met Tony’s parents, he had seen them enough on TV and on magazines. He knew from seeing them then that Tony looked just like his father, they had the same body type, the same smile/smirk, and they both held themselves the same way…confident and assured. Up close though, he could see that Tony got his eyes from his mother. Those expressive brown doe eyes that Rhodey has seen look at him with anger, happiness, joy, sadness…now looked at him again, on a different face but just as open. He saw worry and relief.

“Mrs. Stark…” He started as Maria approached him but before he could continue Maria enveloped him in a warm tight hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around Rhodey’s shoulders and the smell of lavender met his nose.

“Thank you for coming,” she said, stepping back but leaving her hands on his arms, “Thank you so much”

Rhodey nodded, “Of course…Does he know that I’m here?”

She shook her head, “No…” She glanced back at the door, “He’s been in there for about five hours.”

“Five hours?” Rhodey asked disbelievingly, “Have you heard him?”

“I-I’ve heard some sniffling” Maria explained, pain read easily on her face, “Howard was threatening to break it down but I was able to calm him down.”

“Where is….?” Rhodey looked around just in case he missed someone

“He’s currently in his study…he’s…not happy” Jarvis replied

Rhodey took a deep breath, this question had been humming in his head but he was too afraid to ask it, but now… “Did-Did he do this on purpose?”

Maria turned away to look at the door, one hand on Rhodey’s coat sleeve. Jarvis answered solemnly, “I’m afraid we don’t know.”

Rhodey blanched, “Shouldn’t he talk to someone or be somewhere where they can watch him?”

Maria shook her head, “Howard wouldn’t allow it”. He could tell that it was a decision that she wasn’t happy with.

Rhodey wanted to question her more but at the moment he had more important things to attend to. “Let me see if I can talk to him”

Maria squeezed his forearm before she and Jarvis left the room to give them some privacy. Rhodey took a deep breath and walked to the door, he listened, pressing his ear to the door but he didn’t hear anything.

He knocked, “Tones?”

The response was immediate, he heard Tony move and the sound of plastic bottles hitting the ground (He must have been in the bathtub…Rhodey would see the humor in that later). He heard the footsteps stop in front of the door and saw the light underneath the door break.

“Rhodey?” He heard Tony ask, he could hear the watery tremble in his voice

“Yeah, Tones, it’s me” He answered back, grateful that Tony replied

“Why are you here?” Tony’s voice was soft, he could barely hear him through the door

“Your Mom called me,” he explained, pressing his forehead against the wood, “She was…I was worried about you.”

He heard a sniffle, “You are?”

“Of course I am, you’re my friend.” Rhodey heard a sliding sound and next time Tony spoke his voice was closer to the ground.

“Are we still friends?” Tony asked from where he was crouched

Rhodey kneeled down so he was closer to Tony, “You’re my best friend, Tony.”

He heard another broken sob, “I’m sorry that I yelled at you, I-I know that sometimes I’m a pain in the ass. I know that I can be annoying and stubborn. I know that sometimes I can be really difficult and I make everything harder and…”

“I’m sorry to Tony,” Rhodey said quickly, stopping Tony before he could continue to berate himself, “I’m sorry I yelled and I got angry. I was scared because I didn’t know what was wrong. I just didn’t understand…I still don’t but…I won’t push you to tell me. I know that you’ll tell me eventually but you don’t have to tell me until you’re ready.”

Rhodey listened to the soft hitches of breath before tapping on the door again, “Can I come in?”

There was a pause, “Is-Is anyone else out there?”

Rhodey glanced around just to make sure, “It’s just me Tony, I promise”

He heard Tony slowly get to his feet before he heard the lock on the door click, checking behind him Rhodey turned the knob and walked into the bathroom. He made sure to lock the door again before he turned around. Tony was standing there, his hair was a mess, his eyes were red and there were tear tracks down his cheeks. He was wearing a plain black t shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. He looked small standing in the big bathroom, arms wrapped around himself tightly. Rhodey didn’t hesitate to grab Tony’s shoulder and pull him into a tight hug, Tony came willingly and wrapped his arms securely around Rhodey’s waist.

Rhodey held him as he cried, making soft sounds of comfort and assurance as Tony buried his face in Rhodey’s neck. His own arms were wrapped around Tony’s shoulders head resting on top of untidy brown locks.

He waited….waited until he felt the sobs stop and Tony relaxed his grip on the back of Rhodey’s shirt. Waited until he felt the angular body in his arms stop shaking and Tony sighed against his neck. After who knows how long, Rhodey nudged Tony and he led him further into the bathroom to sit down. Somehow this led to both of them sitting in the bathtub; Tony on one side and Rhodey on the other, facing each other and legs tangled.

Rhodey stayed silent, he was eager to know what happened but he didn’t want to push Tony. Tony eventually took in a deep breath, letting it slip from his lips slowly before his eyes flicked up to meet Rhodey’s calm gaze.

“He only wants me to come back when he wants to show me off to the investors at SI” Tony started, sinking further into the tub, “My dad-Howard- The only time he was even a tiny bit proud of me was when I did something that he could brag about. Something that he could show that would show the world that I’m smart, like him, and I can build things, like him…that I would be able to take over SI someday.” Tony gave Rhodey a bitter smile, “When I’m not doing something he can show off…that usually means that I’m doing something disappointing.”

Tony blinked quickly to try and stop the tears that were building up in his eyes and Rhodey pretended not to see them, “He didn’t want a son…He wanted an heir.” Tony picked at his t shirt, “For having so much in common we don’t really get along, it’s the reason that I didn’t want to come home. I knew if I came home I would just be dragged from party to party while we were out and while we were at home we would just argue.”

“Is that what happened?” Rhodey asked softly, Tony nodded

“We’ve fought almost every day since I’ve been back. We were arguing about…everything. Me not trying hard enough. Me wasting my time playing with robots. Me, me, me” Tony let out a harsh breath, “Just me not doing enough and not taking anything seriously…I just can’t do anything good enough for him, Rhodey.”

Rhodey bit his lip and looked away from Tony because seeing the look of total defeat on his face was getting him angrier. Tony wasn’t going to go into the details of their arguments, what was said or what was done…he could tell. The look on Tony’s face though….that was enough to tell him that whatever Howard had said to him hurt. It hurt Tony more than he would ever admit and Rhodey was angry. Angry that Howard would treat his only son like that…hell…angry that Howard would treat Rhodey’s friend like that. That Howard would treat Tony so badly that Tony felt the need to…

“Tony?” Rhodey whispered, afraid for the answer, “Did you do it on purpose?”

Tony looked up at him confused, “Did I do what on purpose?”

“Did you purposely drink too much?” Rhodey met Tony’s gaze right on, “Were you trying to…?”

His eyes widened, “No, Rhodey...I didn’t…That wasn’t why I…” Tony sat up and leaned forward, “I promise that I wasn’t trying to drink myself to death.”

Rhodey nodded slowly

“I promise you Rhodey, I didn’t realize how much I was drinking. I should have known better than to drink alone.”

“Yeah you should have” Rhodey snapped, immediately feeling bad when Tony flinched. He sighed, “I’m sorry Tony, I was just- you scared the hell out of me. I thought that you were trying to…”

“I’m sorry Rhodey, I didn’t mean to make you worry” Tony said sincerely

He laughed, “I’m always going to worry about you Tony, at this rate you’re going to give me white hairs by the time I’m in my 20’s.”

Tony grinned, “Just trying to keep your life interesting, Honey Bear”

Rhodey kicked the side of Tony’s leg, “You’re managing that with no problems.” Rhodey leaned toward him, “Just promise me that the next time you feel the need to drown your feeling with booze you call me, okay?”

“So you can join me?” Tony asked with a soft smile

“No, so I can set up countermeasures” Rhodey grinned

Tony grinned back, “Therapy sessions with Dr. Rhodey?”

“You couldn’t pay me enough” Rhodey laughed when Tony threw a loofah at him

Tony lay back in the tub before looking at the door, his smile fading, “How’s my Mom?”

“Worried”

“Jarvis?”

“Worried too”

Tony paused, “Howard?”

“I didn’t see him, Jarvis said he was in his study”

Tony winced, “That’s not good” He continued before Rhodey could ask why, “Guess I have to face the music, huh?”

Rhodey nodded and stood up, stepping out of the tub he reached out a hand to help Tony up and out. He placed a hand on Tony’s back encouragingly as he walked to the door nervously, “I’m right here Tones,” Rhodey said firmly.

He felt Tony relax as he opened the door to the bathroom. They didn’t see Jarvis, but Maria was sitting on Tony’s bed waiting. When she saw them emerge she was immediately on her feet and she had Tony in her arms in a matter of seconds.

“Oh my baby” Maria and Tony held each other tight, Rhodey turned his head to give them some sense of privacy. She pulled back to run her hands through Tony’s hair and down his face, “ _Mimmo_ , are you okay?”

“I’m okay _Mamma_ ,” Tony and Maria started to talk in quick Italian, while their hands never left each other. Rhodey was lost for the most part until Tony started speaking in English again, “Where’s Howa-Dad?”

Maria shook her head, “He’s still downstairs”

“Is-Is he angry?” Tony asked quietly

“You know your Father” She replied somberly, Tony nodded

“Is everything going to be okay?” Rhodey asked, worried for Tony more than anything

Maria pursed her lips, “He just has to calm down”

“That’s not going to help, _Mamma_ ” Tony spoke, he ran his hand through his hair, “He’s going to want to talk before then”

The two were quiet, before Rhodey spoke up again, “I might be able to help with that.” Rhodey bit back a smile when two identical pairs of expressive brown eyes turned on him.

“How?” Tony asked, hopeful

“When I left to come here, my Ma said that if you needed some place to stay that you’re welcome at our house.” Rhodey explained, “Why don’t you come stay with me until school starts?”

Tony’s eyes widened, “Really? I can? Your Mom wouldn’t mind?”

“Yea, really. Yes, you can and no she wouldn’t mind” Rhodey smiled, “She’s been wanting to meet you anyway.”

Tony jumped with excitement before turning his gaze back to his Mom, “Can I go, _Mamma_?”

“Is it really okay?” Maria asked, which Rhodey took as a sign that she thought it was a good idea too

“Of course” Rhodey answered immediately, “It’s only for a few weeks until school starts”

“I think it’s an excellent idea, Master Stark” They heard from the doorway, Jarvis was walking in with a small on his lips, “Do forgive me for intruding but I think a few weeks away might do you some good.”

Tony was beaming, “This will be so cool Rhodey! I’ve never been to a friend’s house before! What are we going to do? It will be like a two week sleepover! We can stay up all night.”

“You need sleep Tony…”

“We can make blanket forts!”

“I don’t think I have many blankets at my house…”

“I’ll buy some, we can have pillow fights!”

“I would destroy you…”

“We can watch scary movies!”

“I don’t need you cuddling up to me at night cause you’re too scared to sleep…”

“Nonsense, Rhodey Bear!” Tony tittered, starting to go around his room to pack. Jarvis was right by his side, grabbing a bag from the closet and listening attentively as Tony started babbling about blanket fort diagrams and pillow-fighting robots. Rhodey was grinning at Tony’s excitement when he felt a soft touch on his arm, Maria was smiling at him.

“Thank you, James”, she said, watching Tony with a fond smile, “I can tell that you mean a lot to him.”

“He means a lot to me too”

\---

It took Tony and Jarvis not even half an hour to have Tony all packed up and ready to go. Maria had called ahead to have the Stark Plane set to take them to Philadelphia and Rhodey had already called his Ma to inform her of the new plan. He handed the phone to Maria as he tried to help Tony close one of his suitcases. He could hear Maria talking to his Ma and thanking her for letting Tony stay with them.

They were downstairs before you know it and Jarvis had went out to help them load Tony’s bags into the car.

“You call me every few days, okay Tony?” Maria asked, straightening Tony’s collar

Tony agreed, “Yes _Mamma_.”

“Rhodey” She said, peering around Tony, “Make sure he stays out of trouble”

“Always” Rhodey said, ignoring Tony’s sounds of protest

“What’s going on here?” Rhodey felt Tony stiffen next to him

Rhodey turned to see Howard Stark, with a half empty tumbler in one hand, walking towards them. His walk wasn’t as smooth as Rhodey has seen on TV, it was obvious that the drink in Howard’s hand wasn’t his first.

Howard’s red eyed gaze swept the room before it landed on Tony, “So you finally stopped cowering in the corner?”

He didn’t see Tony’s reaction but he didn’t need to, he reacted immediately and stepped in front of Tony, blocking Howard’s view of him.

“Rhod-…” Tony started but Howard had already locked onto Rhodey

“Who the hell are you?” He sneered, taking another long sip of his drink

“Darling” Maria spoke up, stepping up next to Tony, “This is a friend of Tony’s from school, James Rhodes”

“Friend?” Howard huffed, eyeing Tony again “Really? I thought I sent you to that school to learn, not to waste your time running around with…your friend” 

Rhodey felt himself stiffen, he stood up straight and raised his chin (even then Howard had him by a few inches.), “Tony’s going to be coming back home with me until school starts up again.”

“Is he now?” Howard’s eyes narrowed, “When did this happen?”

“We just worked it out, Darling” Maria said, “I thought it would be nice to give Tony a break.”

“A break?” Howard laughed, “A break from what? It’s not like he’s been doing anything that requires a break.”

“Howard…” Maria started, but Howard interrupted.

“No, Tony has things he needs to do here. He doesn’t have time to be playing with his friends and goofing off.” Howard turned to Tony, “This is why you’re never going to amount to anything! You never want to put in the hard work, Tony!”

“That’s enough,” Rhodey grit out, more angry than he’s ever been

Howard whirled back around to face Rhodey, who met his gaze head on, “Enough? Oh, that’s enough…We don’t want poor Tony to breakdown again and lock himself in the closet or something do we? You listen here boy,” Howard got right in Rhodey’s face, the tumbler bumping Rhodey’s chest. He heard Maria and Tony speak but he didn’t know what they said…Rhodey held his ground, “You don’t tell me what’s enough. I’m the one that decides what happens to Tony, I’m the one who decides what I’m going to say to him! If I want to yell or scream or tell Tony that he’s messing up, screwing around, and failing then I have every right to because I am his…!!”

That was as far as Howard got before Rhodey lost the battle to try to remain calm. He blanked out and the only thing he heard was the sound of his Ma’s voice in his head:

_Take a deep breath…_

_Drop your right leg back for balance…_

_Bend your knees slightly…_

_Tighten your core…_

_Twist at your waist…_

_Blow out forcefully…_

_Rotate your hips with the punch…_

_Drive your fist with your rear foot…_

_Aim for the jaw…_

His fist met Howard’s jaw with a sharp thud, taking everyone (except Rhodey of course) by surprise. Howard didn’t have a chance, the next second he collapsed; landing in a pile on the floor. The glass tumbler in his hand slipped from his grasp and the amber liquid splashed to the floor.

Rhodey straightened back out and shook out his hand a little sore but not as much as it could have been, considering he knew how to throw a punch (Thanks, Ma). Rhodey turned to Tony and Maria, both of them looking from Rhodey to Howard with a look of shock.

“The car is ready, Sirs.” Jarvis said, coming in from outside, “Are you ready to…”

Jarvis came to a stop when he saw Howard snoring on the wooden floor, he looked at Rhodey who fixed his coat.

“Thank you, Jarvis” He turned to Tony, “Ready to go?”

Tony was still looking at him with wide eyes but he nodded and Rhodey placed a hand behind his back, nodded at Maria and Jarvis, and led Tony outside.

\---

It was about 4 days later, Rhodey and Tony were back at Rhodey’s house, attempting to make cookies because Tony whined until Rhodey agreed to help him. Roberta (who had immediately fallen for Tony’s big brown eyes) had already left, after warning them that they better not burn down the house. Now they were both covered in flour and most of the vanilla extract was on the counter.

It was about four days later when what happened came rushing back to Rhodey and he realized what he did.

“Oh my God!” Rhodey exclaimed, dropping the bag of chocolate chips onto the floor

“What?” Tony asked, looking up from where he was trying to measure out the sugar

“I punched your dad!” Rhodey said, waving his hands

Tony looked at him confused, “Uh, yes you did. It was awesome by the way, but why are you thinking about that now?”

“It just came to me!” Rhodey groaned, “I punched Howard Stark!!”

Rhodey placed both his hands over his mouth, he punched Howard Stark, one of the richest men in the world in the face. He mind raced as he thought of what Howard could do to him, not just him…his Ma! Oh god, Howard Stark could ruin his career…ruin his life even!

“Rhodey! RHODEY!” Tony grabbed his shoulders and shook him, “It’ll be okay, Rhodey!”

“How is it going to be okay?!” Rhodey admits that he may be a bit hysterical, “I have Howard Stark as an enemy!”

“Seriously Rhodey!” Tony was laughing at him…Laughing! “It’s going to be okay”

Rhodey stared at him

“My Mom handled it Rhodey” Tony explained, going back to the cookies

“Handled it how?”

“I don’t really know the details but last time I talked to her she told me to tell you not to worry and that it’s going to be okay. She handled it.” Tony poured the sugar into the bowl

“When did you talk to her?” Rhodey asked, picking the chocolate chips up

“A couple days ago” Tony replied shrugging

“And you didn’t tell because….?” Rhodey rolled his eyes

Tony looked at him, “Oops?”

Rhodey threw a chocolate chip at him and Tony glared at him, threatening to tell Roberta that he was making a mess. Rhodey relaxed after hearing that Maria had his back, he was kind of worried that Maria would be upset with him. He did punch her husband…in the face.

Apparently they were still okay and that made Rhodey think that maybe he did see what he thought he saw when he left that night. When Rhodey turned to lead Tony out of the mansion he caught a glimpse of Maria’s face.

She had a small smirk on her lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Boom!
> 
> I just really wanted Rhodey to punch Howard in the face...Is that bad?
> 
> Guys!!!
> 
> Want to know what happened during the time Tony was with Rhodey? You're in luck cause someone prompted it!
> 
> Read [Two Weeks at the Rhodes' House or No Room for Subpar Sleepovers](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7928332) now!


End file.
